A Little Kindness At The Cash Register

I had stopped at a store to get a few things.
I scoped out the various checkout lines.
They all had about the same number of people in them.
I happened to pick one that seemed to be moving quickly.

As we all know, appearances can be deceiving.
Through no fault of her own, the customer in front of me had a problem.
A coupon she was using would not scan.
The cashier tried unsuccessfully to apply the coupon.

The cashier needed to turn on the dreaded light.
The dreaded light that calls a checkout manager to the line to deal with the problem.
Depending on how busy the checkout lines are, the response could take a while.
I was not in a hurry but I still wanted to leave the store since I was headed home.

I could not go to another line since people were now behind me.
I had to wait.
The customer looked embarrassed.
She turned to me and the rest of the line and said, Sorry, very quietly.

I smiled and remarked how those things happen to me as well.
The checkout manager finally came to the register.
He tried to apply the coupon unsuccessfully as well.
Finally, with a key and the authority that comes with his job, he was able to apply it manually.

All this time, the cashier had been pleasant and helpful.
He bantered with the embarrassed customer.
He made a comment to me and to the rest of the line.
Another cashier asked him for help on an item, to which he gladly assisted.

Through it all, the cashier remained undaunted.
He handled all that was before him with ease.
His pleasant demeanor diffused the situation.
He was professional and kind, which was a wonderful combination.

Before the resolution, the embarrassed customer wanted to just forget the coupon.
The cashier reminded her that every bit of saving helps in this economy.
The customer felt justified in pursuing the savings that were rightly hers.
The cashier was extremely adept at assessing the situation and putting people at ease.

The customer paid and went on her way with her head held high.
The cashier never once seemed annoyed.
The cashier handled that customer as if she was the only one he had to serve that day.
He could easily have been the quintessential cashier in a training video.

I reached the register.
My things were put on the moving belt as they approached the cashier to scan.
You really handled that situation well, I told him.
He gave me a smile that I had seen on his face through it all.

You were pleasant and kind to that woman and that really matters, I said.
Thank you, the cashier said, I just wanted to help.
You more than helped, I said.
You actually diffused the situation, I reminded him.

I played a game with my children when they were young, I told him.
What game? He asked as he continued to scan my things.
We called it the smile game, I began.
Whenever we encountered someone who seemed to be in a bad mood, we smiled at them.

What happened? The cashier asked.
It is very hard for a person to resist the smile of a young child, I said with a twinkle in my eye.
He laughed and seemed to understand.
Did it work? He asked really wanting to know.

Most times it did work, I told him, but some people would not smile back.
Some people, he said without finishing.
You were playing the game without even knowing it, I said.
You made a bad situation good just by your smile and your kindness, I told him.

He looked up at me and smiled.
I smiled back.
It works, he said.
It works, I agreed.

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.
(Proverbs 15:30)

I thought of the cashier’s question.
Did it work?
I thought about how that is a question we should be asking ourselves each day.
We find ourselves doing the same things and responding the same way to situations.

Does it work?
Does our attitude and our daily routine work for God’s glory and our good?
Does our default behavior show others who Christ is and what He means to us?
Do we need to change things up a bit and become more intentional in our responses?

Does it work?
God’s way works perfectly.
Our way may need a bit of tweaking.
God’s way gives Him glory and holds out a better way for others to see Him through us.

It may be the smile game or simply treating others the way you want to be treated.
It matters.
It is not the way of the world.
It is so much better.

Daily living is hard enough even on a good day.
How can we make it better for someone else?
How can we show them the love of Christ in the way we treat them?
How can we brighten the day for another person in the short time we are with them?

God sees.
God hears.
God delights when we treat each other with kindness and compassion even in the little things.
Perhaps especially in the little things.

Go ahead.
Make someone’s day.
Take the time to smile.
They may just smile back.

It does work.

2 responses to “A Little Kindness At The Cash Register”

1. I always remember the saying that when you smile at someone, it may be the only smile they see that day. The little things that make life happier are so important and so easy to do, when you have Jesus in your heart.

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   • That is so true, Sue! We never know what someone is going through. A smile and some kindness from us may make all the difference.
     Gina

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